Make Your Wishes Well
by EssGee
Summary: Recently-graduated Amber and James seem to have their futures all planned, but 16-year-old Sofia is still working out the details of hers. She has a pretty good idea of what (and who) she wants, but finds things a little more complicated in practice than in theory. As the princess becomes increasingly aware of the obstacles before her, just how far will Sofia go achieve her goals?
1. Aspiration

Oh, what were the words? Ah…. No, that wasn't it. "Ah!" Sofia's eyes lit as she recalled the spell she was seeking. " _Leonitus Stellara Unicornnus!_ "

In a flash, a towering unicorn appeared. A far cry from dainty Lyra, it more closely resembled a knight's warhorse in build, and it had to it an ethereal quality. It moved and behaved like a true creature, but was not entirely solid, and its eyes glowed like stars.

"Sofia! It's beautiful!" Amber exclaimed.

More smirk than smile crossed the younger princess's lips. "That's not a-a-all~" she sang. " _Doppler Duplicato!_ "

Had Sofia been told a few years ago she would ever dare to use the spell again, she would not have believed it. Had she been told she would not only grow comfortable with it, but master its fine nuances, she would have laughed.

Yet here she was, and with the subtlest changes to her tone and gestures, the starlight equine split not in two, but into a fully glory of unicorns, all lined up in perfect form.

"That's _amazing!_ They're _perfect_ , Sofia."

Sofia smiled and clasped her hands behind her back, still clutching her wand, as she shrugged off the compliment. "You only turn eighteen once. It's the _least_ I could do~" But inside, she really _was_ proud of herself.

"Brilliant!" Prince James eagerly approached a nearby unicorn, reaching forth to take the reins. It was all his younger sister could do to mask her amusement when his hand passed through. "Aww."

"Sorry, James. I'm afraid they're only decorations."

He couldn't resist another swipe or two to be sure, but then shrugged it off. "Not a problem, Sof. They're still really neat."

"I agree," added Amber. "And some of us-" she offered a brief but pointed glance at her twin- "recall that you don't conjure real animals."

Sofia simply gave a sheepish half-laugh in response as James insisted he definitely remembered that. It was something of a rule of hers, though they didn't understand why. While some wizards had reservations about creating life for various reasons, Sofia's came primarily from the level of sentience she perceived in them and the fleetingness of those conjured lives. To allow a rock or a teacup to think and feel and _speak_ for only minutes or hours or days-at-most, only to return to its inanimate state- let alone to conjure new life out of thin air only to disappear into nothingness again…

The mere thought made Sofia feel nauseous. Certainly with enough care and attention, a false life could be prolonged and enriched, but Sofia knew of only one outstanding case of that. So she simply preferred to avoid the need altogether.

"But really. Great job, Sof. On _all_ the decorations, really!"

Amber clapped her hands together. "Indeed! This is going to be the _greatest_ birthday _ever_. And it's all thanks to you."

"You've gotten _so_ good at magic," added James.

"You really think so?" Her cheeks, not quite so ever-rosy as in her youth, more resembled her younger self now. "I mean.. I still have a lot to learn. And Mr. Cedric lent me some spellbooks that helped a lot."

"Oh, give yourself some _credit_. You and I both know how easy it is to mess up a spell just reading straight from the book." Amber had a point, and Sofia shielded a grin at the memories of all the shenanigans they'd gotten into over the years. "No, Sofia. You have a real gift, and you _deserve_ to be proud of that." The blonde nodded firmly.

"If you say-" She caught herself about to downplay again. At least one could certainly never accuse her of bragging; that was a trap she'd fallen into exactly once, and never again. She found in time that she may have overcompensated, here and there, however. "I mean.. You're-.. right. Thank you. Both of you."

* * *

The three of them went on to check and decorate the rest of the courtyard in preparation for the following day's celebration. Eventually, James was called away by Sir Finnegan; it was his last day as his squire, after all. Tomorrow, they'd say their farewells, and soon enough James would be off to prove himself solo and earn his full knighthood.

As Amber and Sofia finally headed inside, Amber piped up, "I've been meaning to ask you, Sofia. Have you given any thought to what _you'll_ be doing after graduation? Or switching studies before then?"

Sofia smirked and rolled her eyes. "Don't _worry_ , Amber, I'm not going to take the kingdom from you."

"What?" Another beat passed before the elder princess regained her composure. "No, I didn't mean it like that. I know you're not interested in ruling the kingdom."

She sort of was. She'd certainly given it thought, at any rate. But Amber was older, and a true blood heir rather than married-in, and it would still be a long time yet before Roland and Miranda stepped down, goddesses willing. So Sofia feigned disinterest to keep the peace between them.

"What I meant was, have you thought about what you _do_ want to do?"

"Oh…"

A brief silence fell, and when it became apparent Sofia didn't have an answer, Amber went on. "Have you considered, perhaps… looking more into magic?"

"...Maybe," answered the sixteen-year-old. "I've still got time to figure it out, though, right?"

"I suppose. ...But you know. Cedric is…" She searched for a word that wouldn't offend her sister. " _Improving_ ," she offered weakly. "But when I'm queen someday, I could use a reliable sorcerer. Or perhaps a sorceress~?" She offered her best flatter-eyes, which caused her sister to smile.

"It _would_ be really fun learning new spells all the time. And it _would_ let me help a lot of people…"

" _Oh_ , it _would~!"_

"I'll.. give it some thought."

Amber squealed with delight.

* * *

"What do you think, Clover?" Sofia asked that night.

Her beloved bunny, overweight and well-on in years, lay curled up on the pillow next to her. A small movement served as a lazy equivalent of a shrug. "I don't see what the problem is. You love magic, don'tcha?"

"Yes…?"

"And you love learning, right?"

"Yes…"

"And you like bein' able to fix people's problems. So what's the question? Was there somethin' else you were thinkin' of doin' instead?"

Sofia thought hard on this, but truthfully, she could think of nothing more appealing. "... It's just…"

"What's up, Princess? You can talk to me."

Sofia smirked. "Yes, I think we've established that by now. Magic amulet, talk to animals. Kinda my thing~"

Clover rolled his eyes affectionately. "Oh hardee har har. You know what I mean, kid. What's on your mind?"

She took a deep breath. "It's just… Everyone lately has been going _on_ and _on_ about what a _great_ sorceress I've become…"

"Yeah? And?"

"No matter how much I try to share the credit, no one seems to understand how much of that I owe to Mr. Cedric. If I keep getting better, and people keep noticing _me_ …"

"Ahhhh, I gotcha. You're worried about putting ol' Cedric out of a job, huh? Look, Sof, I know you like him and all, but if you do end up being _better_ then fair is fair, right?"

Sofia didn't really hear the end of that. "You…" Her voice was scarcely a squeak. "You know?"

"Huh? Know what?" He mentally went over his words again. "Know you're worried?"

"No. That I-..."

"...Like Cedric? I mean, sure. You've been pretty good pals for almost as long as I can remember." He broke into a mutter. "Least about as much as a guy like that has pals, anyway."

"Oh." She forced a laugh and instantly regretted it, realizing even as it left her throat how suspicious it sounded. " _Yeah_. _That_ sounds.. about right!" _Sofia, quit digging it deepe-e-er_ , she chided herself.

Clover was already sitting up to leer her way. "Soooooof…."

"What is it?" she chimed back, words a bit too quick, smile a bit too innocent.

"Sofiiiaaaaaa?"

"Dooon't know whaaatcher taaaalking abou-ou-out~"

"I think ya do-o-o." His was significantly less singing and more mocking.

She let out a small frustrated yell before rolling over in a flop. "Okay _fiiiine_. So I _maaay_ have entertained certain… _ideas_ about a certain castle sorcerer. It's not like it _matters_ , right? I'm too young for him, and it's not like I'm gonna let a little crush be a deciding factor in figuring out my future _career_ , right?"

Clover wasn't entirely convinced, but his wheels were turning either way, and he gave a little hop. "Sofia, don'tcha get it? This is _perfect!_ "

"Huh?" She sat up again, deeply intrigued.

"Look. You wanna study magic, right? But you want him to get credit for helping you, too. _Annnnd_ , _I'd_ be willin' to bet you wouldn't mind spending some more time with him, riiiight?"

Sofia's eyes brightened as it all clicked. "No one acknowledges when he's just my _advisor_ …"

"But if you were his _apprentice_..."

"Then people would _have_ to know where I learned it all! _Great idea_ , Clover! You're the _best_." She could barely resist hugging him.

Clover just lay back again, hands behind his head, signature smugness setting in. " _I know it_ , Princess. And you're _very_ welcome."

Sofia giggled. "We should get some sleep, though. We've got a big day tomorrow~"

The bunny yawned in response. "I hear ya. Night, Sofia."

"Good night, Clover."


	2. Attribution

In her eight-and-a-half years at the castle, Sofia wasn't sure if she'd seen a party as grand, or busy, as this- and it hadn't officially started. Everything was a flurry of colors and voices and food and frills. Sofia didn't want to even think about navigating that crowd.

For now, she took her place near a large curtain positioned at the top of the stairs leading down into the ballroom. Roland and Miranda stood arm in arm across from her, while behind the curtain she could hear James and Amber bickering.

"Do you _really_ have to wear that sword?"

"What? What's wrong with it? It's got a decorative sheath and everything. I thought you'd like that!"

A heavy sigh. "I _suppose_ it's not the _tackiest_ sword you own, but _in the ballroom_ , James?"

"It was a gift from Zandar, okay?" Sofia couldn't help but smile a bit at this.

"... Fine," Amber conceded. Another several seconds of silence. "Well the least you could have done was shave."

"What? No way! I look totally distinguished."

Another sigh, and Sofia fought a small giggle.

Further discussion was cut off as trumpets sounded, signalling the start of the evening's events. Baileywick came forth. His walking stick was no longer just for show, and he had less stride in his step than he used to, but otherwise he was just as bustling as ever. "Ladies and gentlemen! Making their formal royal debut this evening: Princess Amber and Prince James!"

He moved to Sofia's side and drew the curtain, revealing the twins of the hour.

Amber, of course, was the picture of elegance, in a long white dress trimmed in pearls and gold lace. It rose to her neckline, but scooped past her waist in back, and had no sleeves. A plume of white feathers adorned one shoulder. Notably, unlike most of her dresses, unlike even Sofia's dress, it did not include a crinoline or petticoat, but rather hugged her subtle curves before flaring somewhat around the knees. Opera-length white gloves and a myriad of necklaces and bangles accentuated the look, and heels made the already tall young woman nearly eye level with her brother. Her makeup was heavier than usual, yet her lips remained as faintly glossy and unadorned as always. She wore her otherwise shoulder-length hair in an elaborate updo, accented with a few more feathers, but she had no tiara today; rather, she wore a full, if smaller than her parents's, crown, signifying her coming of age.

James, all broad shoulders and barrel chested beside her, wore a black suit with gold trim and accents and a blue undershirt. His coat bore the Enchancian coat of arms in brilliant embroidery. His hair, trimmed and tidy in front, was held by a blue bow in a long ponytail, which fell in a thick mess of curls nearly halfway down his back. To Amber's distaste, he not only maintained a full goatee-and-mustache combo, but had failed to shave the stubble on the sides of his face. He too wore a full crown today, albeit silver with blue jewels compared to her gold with white.

Sofia watched with an excited pride as they exchanged bows with their parents, then accepted a bow from her, then proceeded down the steps to greet everyone along the way and accepting mountains of praise and congratulations. Once they were properly absorbed within the crowd, she was free to move herself.

Her eyes quickly swept over the ballroom from her high vantage point. Two or three heads gave her a moment's pause, but each turned out to be only a natural partial graying, similar to that her father now sported. There were no blinding white bangs in sight.

She briefly lamented to crowd along the stairs, as she would have otherwise been very tempted to slide down the bannister. Instead, she politely made her way down and through the room, stopping briefly for pleasantries with anyone who called out to her as she did.

She tried to get away from each conversation quickly, but some managed to keep her longer than she would have liked. All the while, she kept an eye out on the crowd. While at a dainty 5'3" she envied Amber's- or even her mother's- height, the man she was looking for was fortunately rather tall.

At last, she made it through the indoor portion of the party and to the courtyard, with still not a sorcerer in sight.

The castle grounds, despite being larger, provided only slightly more elbow room than inside. But Sofia did have an extra advantage here. Sneaking to the nearest tree, she stood up with her back against it and whistled a little tune. A few moments later, a fluffy yellow bird descended.

"You rang, milady?" came the deep, masculine voice.

Once certain no one was looking, she asked in a hushed tone, "Auric, could you get anyone else who's still awake to help me look for Mr. Cedric?"

"Consider it done, my dear." He managed a dramatic bowing motion in mid-air, losing only a little altitude before catching himself and taking flight.

She continued on her own, then, but less urgently than before.

"Oh, Sofia, is that you?" Another friend, this time one of the slightly younger students at royal prep. Sofia readily greeted him in return, and more small-talk ensued.

-

How have you been? Isn't this exciting? What a marvelous job on the decorations! What a fine young lady Amber has become. What a strapping young man, that James. My, how you've grown! Have you thought of what you'll do in a few years? My, you're such a marvelous young sorceress, aren't you!

Sofia felt like she heard these things a hundred times a minute, and each time it became harder to feign interest than the last. Such was par for the course in her position, though, and her courteous smile never once wavered no matter how her mind started to wander.

It wasn't that she minded the attention or compliments. She'd have worn something far more subtle than this glistening black-and-white-and-silver gown if she did. Or she would have opted against the diamond earrings or collar-like diamond necklace, which wrapped just below her neck while her Amulet hung to almost the top of her rather low-cut dress. No, she really didn't mind the attention; she just wished people had a little more to talk about.

Her favorite questions, however, were those involving whether or not either of the twins had found suitors yet, or if they were looking to do so tonight. While it took a conscious effort to smile through most things, it took effort _not_ to do so too much each time someone suggested this or that prince for Amber, or asked which princesses James got along best with.

Sofia tended to shrug it off, but for those who pushed- "Oh you must have _some_ idea, dear!"- she simply informed them that to her knowledge, her siblings didn't seem to be looking at the moment. Amber was "more focused on princess things" while James was "more into swords and cannons than girls". Almost invariably, reactions to this were laid-back certainty that it was just a matter of time.

"If you say so," Sofia continually replied.

At long last, a green blur flashed by. Sofia looked about before finally spotting the tiny hummingbird hovering nearby. She acknowledged her at first only with her eyes, but the bird knew it was enough. "We found him, Sofia! Heading toward the entrance from his tower."

Sofia resisted the urge to facepalm. Of _course_ he'd be horribly late. Why did she think for a moment he wouldn't? All the same, she was grateful for the intel. "Thanks, Liza!" she spouted quickly, then headed that direction.

She peeked through the doors as she passed them, but did not see him inside yet, and so continued until she caught a glimpse through the crowd. In addition to his bangs, it seemed he was wearing the same robes as every other day, making him stand out all the more among the well-dressed nobility. "Mr. Cedriiiiic~!" she called, causing him to flinch as he stopped.

" _Princess Sofia_ ," he responded before quite seeing her. Similarly, she could tell before seeing his face that he was pasting on a false smile, though she'd never call him out on such. "To _what_ do I owe the-" His face fell flatter as she came into view. "Pleasure…"

Her long curls, pulled up high and spilling down her back, seemed to have lost a lock, and she brushed it behind her ear as she smiled up at him. "There was something I wanted to ask you." Only then did she realize she had never quite let go of that lock of hair, and immediately forced herself to quit twirling it.

His eyebrows raised in his usual snarky manner. "Of _course_ you do."

"I was looking for you earlier today, but you weren't in your workshop when I checked, and…"

" _Well_ , I would _love_ to help with… whatever it is you want, _but_ , as you can see, I'm quite busy now, perhaps another time." Even as he spoke he was beginning to push his way past her toward the ballroom.

"Wait!" She fumbled for a moment before catching up to him, holding her skirt up to facilitate her quickened pace. She couldn't decide if his own rapid steps seemed more likely to compensate for his being late or in an effort to get away from her, but she hoped the prior. "If you have too much to do, maaaybe I could help you get it done faster?"

He glanced in what could loosely be called her direction, eyes still smug and mouth twisted skeptically, but continued walking. "It looks to me like you've helped quite enough, Princess. I suppose I should be thanking you for getting me out of preparation duty this year." Despite his words, he did not sound particularly grateful.

Sofia winced momentarily, but then put on a sweet smile. "Do you like it?"

He did stop then, pausing before looking around at everything with a more critical eye than he'd given it prior. "Well, you've certainly gotten down the showmanship." Considering that was his own greatest struggle, she was not entirely sure if it was meant as a compliment. But he went on. "The floating lights seem stable enough. The spinning tables are keeping a nice steady pace. The games look to be functioning properly, for _now_ …" For reasons she couldn't place, she found that addendum amusing. "Though the anatomy on those unicorns is a little sketchy, don't you think?"

"They're warhorses," she offered. "I thought James would appreciate that side of them."

"I see, yes…" he deadpanned. "Well, it looks like you've gotten everything quite under control." A little smirk and "Perhaps you'd like to fill in for me this evening, too, _hmmm?_ "

"Oh, _no_ ," she replied in faux-dramatic tone, not a beat missed. "I couldn't _dream_ of doing that. The only reason I managed _any_ of this is because I've had _such_ a _great_ teacher~"

His smirk grew. "Yes, you have, haven't you." They began walking again, but at a more relaxed pace now. "So I take it rating your work wasn't what you wanted to ask about, was it?"

Sofia shook her head. "Mm-mm."

"Well, then, I suppose get on with it."

" _Weeeell_ , you _seeee_ … Since you are _such_ a wonderful sorcerer _and_ such a wonderful teacher-"

She was cut off by Baileywick's timely yet untimely arrival, pocketwatch in hand. "Cedric, there you are! It's about time!"

Cedric opened his mouth to respond, but Sofia beat him to it. "Sorry Baileywick! I was holding him up." The princess lived on technical truths.

"I see." He sounded skeptic, but she couldn't help that where Cedric was involved. "Well, no point in discussing it now. You were due center-stage three minutes ago." He double-checked his pocketwatch as he stated the time, then put it away neatly in his coat. "Please, do hurry."

"Yes, yes, I'm going," spat Cedric.

"And do try to get it _right_ this time," Baileywick added as they began to move on. Cedric bit his tongue, as did Sofia, but she knew how much it ate at him to imply he wasn't _always_ trying.

Over her shoulder, she responded, "Mr. Cedric will do perfect. You'll see~"

Baileywick was some way behind them, now, but they could still hear him talking to himself even through the hum of the crowd. "I hope so. This is the most important night in _decades_..."

"... I hadn't considered that," came the weak voice next to her. Oh no.

Sofia looked up to see the sorcerer looking instantly more nervous. "Don't sweat it!" ...Actually. Was that sweat? That wasn't a good sign. "I- I can still help out some, if you want."

Cedric shot her a look, but her offer seemed sincere, and he didn't have much time to debate. "Fine. I suppose if you insist." Sofia gave a little squeal.

They reached a clearing in the room, the royal family sans one looking down over it with the crowd gathered all around in every other direction. As introductions were made, James called quietly, "Psst! Sof! You coming?" Sofia simply smiled and shook her head.

A magic show began, first with several simple-but-flashy tricks to set the mood. Sofia allowed Cedric to do most of the tricks, but offered him constant quiet encouragements, and reminders if he paused.

Few among the audience were particularly awed, but things were going well enough. Even Amber seemed moderately pleased.

It was enough that Cedric was starting to relax, though, and his theatrics started coming more naturally. "Next up, prepare yourselves to be shocked and amazed! I'm going to have to ask that everyone move away from the walls and doors, for this tribute to our princess will be as grand as she herself!" Sofia shielded a grin, fairly certain he had been picking up some flattery tips from her.

The sorcerer took a deep breath. ...Then, finding his courage still insufficient, let it out and tried another. At last he flicked his wand toward the ceiling. " _M-Mutato Ambre!_ "

As the flash of light hit, the point of impact turned a rich honey color and began to spread- but did not quite cover the ceiling, and it was so high that it wasn't entirely clear what it was. Just as Cedric began to panic, however, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Again," Sofia urged softly. Revealing a wand in her other hand, she added, "Together."

His first thought was a tie between touched reassurance and the observation that her dress did not have sleeves. For a fraction of a second, he nearly asked where exactly she'd been hiding that wand- then paled and decided he would rather not. Instead, he simply nodded at her, and together they flicked their wands, repeating in unison: " _Mutato Ambre!_ "

The colored area spread farther faster, and within a few moments the entire ceiling and all the walls of the grand room had been transformed into solid, glistening amber.

The older princess gasped with awe and delight. "Marvelous!" she exclaimed. "Simply.. absolutely.."

"Brilliant!" added James, and Amber squeaked in agreement.

" _Yes! Brilliant._ " The crowd joined in the praise as well.

Cedric smiled- neither false nor smug, but a true smile- and Sofia's heart fluttered. "Would.. _you_ like to do the next one, Princess?"

If she had avoided blushing before, she was sure she must be now. "I'd be honored."

On two sides of the room sat two long rows of tables. On the row on Sofia's side sat three ice sculptures: a swan, a peacock, and a _cannon_. It was at the latter that Sofia pointed her wand. " _Glaciem Projectilus!_ "

The sculpture rumbled a moment, then let forth all the thunder of a real cannon. Instead of a ball of steel, however, it shot forth a ball of snow, which in turn exploded with another pop in mid-air, filling the air with glistening snow- in the middle of summer, no less.

James was almost speechless with sheer glee.

With a smug grin, Amber offered, "Boom goes the cannon?" James offered her only an ecstatic grin in return, and Amber chuckled behind her fan.

"For our final trick of the evening," Cedric announced, causing Sofia to grin widely. He aimed his wand toward the ceiling again. " _Fireworks, that crack and boom! Come forth now and fill this room!_ " Almost at once, an indoor fireworks display began.

For a few moments, there were oohs and aahs- until one popped a little too close to the ground, and the following one was rather bigger than expected. Just as people began to panic, so did Sofia, reflexively casting, " _Disappearo!_ " The indoor show abruptly ended, though not before a single ember landed on one of the entrees. ...Eh. It was _en flambe_ now. Yes.

Realizing that hiccup was a poor way to end the show, however, the sorceress-princess pointed her wand toward a window. " _Fireworks, appear on high! Crack and boom across the sky!_ "

All eyes turned to the windows, and those outside looked up, as another beautiful fireworks display did indeed begin, this time safely away from everyone, albeit much harder to see from inside.

Around them, everyone began to cheer and offer their praise… to Sofia. Only then did her actions sink in and a wave of horror wash over her. She spun back to Cedric only to find him already making his way out of the ballroom, utterly dejected.

"Mr. Cedric, wait?" But she couldn't seem to make her way through the crowd. "Oh, it was nothing," she assured many of them again and again. "I really couldn't have done it without Mr. Cedric," she told others. "You know I didn't learn all this on my own," she insisted.

Then James approached her. "Great job, Sof. And that cannon! _Spectacularly_ brilliant!"

"I thought you'd like it. ...But you know, _Mr. Cedric_ came up with the spell to use…"

"And you totally saved the day at the end," he went on, seeming to have not noticed her passive protest. "I wonder why he didn't just put them outside to begin with?"

" _James_ ," she snapped. "You have literally seen him use _exactly that spell_ and it worked _perfectly._ "

"I have?"

Sofia growled and rubbed her temples in frustration. Some part of her was aware that she was being particularly harsh because her brother was one of the few people she was _allowed_ to snap at in such social gatherings, and an even smaller part felt bad for that, but this was getting ridiculous. "He was _trying_ to do something more unique for the party. If _you all_ had trusted him enough to _practice_ it he-" She huffed, cutting herself off before she broke into too much of a rant.

"Hey, Sof, I'm sorry." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I didn't mean to upset you. I just wanted you to know what a good job you did."

She knew all too well, unfortunately, but she sighed. "I don't want to fight. I'm sorry too."

The siblings hugged, then James waved her toward the food. "C'mon, we should eat. Maybe there's still some of Aunt Tilly's pie left!"

Sofia giggled a bit at that, but found herself looking over her shoulder; she'd already lost sight of the sorcerer. "I'm not really that hungry, but you go ahead. I've got something I need to take care of, but I'll be back soon, okay?"

James tilted his head for a moment, but smiled and nodded. "All right. See you soon, Sof!"

"See you soon. And Happy Birthday again, James~"

With that, she pulled out her wand. Ignoring all other attempts to speak with her, she gave it a little twirl and tapped herself on the head. " _Lateo_." In an instant where the princess had stood, only a faint sparkle of magic remained.


	3. Apprentice

As Sofia reappeared several rooms away, she had never felt more grateful that she took the time to master an abscond spell. ...Even if she was a little sad that it lacked the lime green smoke of Cedric's favored version. She'd figure out just which spell that was, someday.

The ballroom and adjacent rooms being used for the party were filled to the brink, the courtyard was nearly as crowded, and outside the castle gates even more throngs of people had come to celebrate, enjoying the music and a smaller amount of magical decorations and provided refreshments. But the rest of the castle was all but deserted, much to the princess' relief.

She passed only three servants, two of which were in such a rush they didn't notice her. The third did briefly question why she wasn't at the party, but she assured him she'd just stepped out for a moment and received no further trouble.

In what seemed like no time, she reached the hall which connected the main castle to Cedric's tower. The tower itself was as dimly lit and drafty as ever, yet to her it held a familiar warmth.

As she neared the top of the spiral steps, she began to hear faint noises within. Sparse clattering of objects and fluttering of paper. A persistent whining. A sound she strongly suspected to be flailing.

Then, of course, there were Wormwood's occasional remarks. " _Pull_ yourself _together_ , man. By the _gods_ , you should _see yourself_." It was a shame Cedric could only hear squawking. Harsh as the words were, Sofia knew they were well-meaning, and she was certain Cedric would know, too. Wormwood may have been an unholy abomination in more ways than one, but caring for Cedric was the one good thing he did incredibly well.

Sofia paused at the door, then opted to knock. "Go _awaaaay_ , Princess," answered the sorcerer. He held not a shadow of a doubt there was only one person who would possibly have followed him.

She tried the door anyway, but found it locked. She shrugged, having expected as much, then moved to the large gargoyle which, surely enough, housed the key in its toe. Sofia found herself smiling smugly as she took it.

He could play the dramatic part all he liked, but ultimately she knew better. He'd revealed his hide-a-key to her on _day one_ in the castle, and as often as he complained about her barging in, he had never once thought to _move_ it.

She went ahead and replaced the key once the door was unlocked, offering her amulet a little half-affectionate leer as she did. _See? No stealing_ , she thought toward it.

With that done, she peeked in to see Cedric flopped sideways and half-limp in a spinning chair, which emphasized his every movement. "Mr. Cedric?"

He groaned. "Merlin's Mushrooms, what _is_ it? Haven't you done _enough?_ "

"I came to apologize," she offered. At that point, she realized not only just how hurt he seemed, and that it was entirely her fault, but the additional point: she was just fine. Which was to say, although she was upset, she wasn't suffering any magical backlash. _...Wow. You could at least_ pretend _to be less selective with whose feelings you do and don't care about_.

Cedric gave a heavy sigh and spun the chair a quarter-turn away from her. " _Eugh_ , what's the _point_?"

She frowned. "I didn't mean to upstage you. I was only trying to help…"

"There's no need to spare my feelings, Princess." He waved his hands in the air dramatically. "I give up. _You win~!_ My sorcery days are through."

Sofia looked as though someone had just walked up and dropkicked Clover. She opened her mouth to protest, but only got out about half a syllable before being cut off once more.

"Perhaps I can find a nice job as a carnival clown. Or maybe I'll just muck the stables. It's all the same."

" _Cedric!_ " she barked, and immediately he found himself upright in his seat. " _Stop_ that _right_ now and _listen to me._ You did _amazing_." Her tone lay somewhere between praise and lecturing. "You always _are_. _So_ amazing that most people don't understand just how Sensational your magic really _is_."

She'd ripped him out of wallowing in self-pity, but not quite away from beating himself up, it seemed. "Well that's all well and good, Princess," came the skeptic tone. "But one girl's opinion hardly makes a difference in the midst of otherwise unanimous disapproval, now, does it. Especially not when my only fan is as biased as _you_ ," he sneered.

The shift on her face was all but imperceptible, but inside Sofia panicked. _Does he know? … He doesn't know. There's no way he could know. He's definitely talking about something else._ If so, though.. "Biased?" came her most innocent voice. "What do you mean?"

Cedric rolled his eyes, and several dramatic hand gestures accentuated the words to follow. " _Princess_ Sofia, _champion_ of all that's bright and good, _harbinger_ of hope, _envoy_ of _optimism_." He deadpanned. "That's certainly _nice_ , but frankly, your praise starts to lose meaning when you see so much good in _everything that bleeds_."

She hadn't really thought of that… "Only when it's _there_ ," she insisted.

Cedric's brows rose a little higher, but he otherwise remained silent for the moment. After all, he happened to know for a fact that she could be a horrendous judge of character.

Wormwood muttered something that may have included the word 'smooth', but of course he rarely spoke to the princess directly.

Sofia searched for a better counter. "I'm not _biased_ … I'm just… better informed~"

One brow lowered. "Oh?"

"I've _seen_ what sort of greatness you can achieve." He began to scoff, but she went on in a firmer tone. "You know at least _half_ these spellbooks by heart and just where in which book to look for almost every other spell. You might get flustered or interrupted, but I've almost _never_ seen you just _forget_ a spell."

"...Still-"

"And you almost _never_ fail in small scale. Either you aim so high that it's hard for _anyone_ to measure up, or you overdo it on little things. Remember when dad asked you to transform the castle gargoyles? A _normal_ sorcerer would have just turned it into the wrong object, or the wrong material, or just _broken_ it. But you? You _brought it to life_."

"Are you sure you're still helping?" he retorted, again deadpan; and Sofia was tempted toward a grim chuckle, even if she ultimately resisted.

"The point was, when it comes to magic, you always go all-in, even with all the doubts around you- and within you. You never have _little_ failures, because even in the simplest efforts you go all-or-nothing. Spectacular successes, spectacular failures, or shorting out entirely. But you're never, _ever_ just-underwhelming."

Cedric remained quiet for some time at this, but could not entirely suppress a little hint of a smile. "Hm."

"Not to _meeeention_ ~" She drew her trump card as she sidled closer to him, face coy and hands behind her back. "Dad, Baileywick, Amber… Even Mom and James, though at least they're more aware of it. _None_ of them know more than beginner-level magic, and still struggle _performing_ some of that! Bu-u-ut…" She spun his chair toward her. "Your _biased_ admirer here…" She gave him half a curtsey, an almost snarky gesture in context. " _Does_ know magic~"

"...I suppose that's true?" He sunk a little further back in his chair, but not in a slumping way so much as trying to reclaim his personal space. Sofia didn't let him, moving a half step closer again to compensate.

"And I have _personally_ seen you pull off spells other sorcerers only _theorize_. I have, on _multiple_ occasions, seen you craft entirely new spells at a moment's notice."

Cedric scoffed. "Now when have I done _that?_ "

Sofia only half-suppressed her giggle. "I believe the _first_ time I can recall was James's rolling-wheely-shoes."

"What?"

"When I was 9, and they'd just turned 11. When James was 'king for the day'," she reminded him. "James had _just_ invented his shoes _that morning_ , but when he asked you to conjure some for the servants, you didn't even hesitate! Just…" She did a little gesture with her hands. " _Poof!_ And they worked _perfectly all day_ , minus some user error. A spell couldn't possibly have existed to create them before, yet you instantly figured one out~"

"... I…" She could see the wheels turning in his head as he no doubt recalled similar instances. He propped one arm and rested his chin on it, eyes distant. "I'd never even thought about that."

" _Exactly~!_ " she chimed. "When you _don't_ think about it, you are _easily_ the greatest sorcerer I've ever met," she said matter-of-factly. "So who are you going to listen to? The people who focus on the fallout without any idea how impressive your successes are, or _me~?_ "

If a sneer could look amused, that was the expression Cedric wore now. "You've gotten _awfully smug_ as of late. You know that?" Wormwood rolled his eyes, clearly feeling that was not so recent a development.

"What can I say? I have a _great_ teacher," she snarked sweetly, earning an affectionately-irked grin in exchange.

" _Yes_ , yes, you're very _clever_. Are you happy now?" Sofia laughed as he motioned for her to give him room and stood up, half-heartedly stretching.

Thinking on it, though, she shook her head. "Actually, no."

 _Of course it wouldn't be that simple_ , he thought. "Well then, speak up. What else did you want?"

All traces of coyness and mischief deserted the princess as she smiled up at him, eyes sparkling nearly as much as her jewelry. "I want them to see what _I_ see." ... _Well. Maybe not_ exactly _what I see,_ she added with amusement.

Cedric replied with a feebly small laugh, though as far as Sofia could tell it was still sincere. "That's very sweet, Sofia. But unless you've found one _doozy_ of a memory charm I think that's probably a lost cause."

Sofia's hand instinctively moved to her mouth, but her smile widened all the more as she realized she didn't need to shield her laughter from him. "That's not _exactly_ what I had in mind," she teased.

"Oh? Well pray _tell_ , I'm all ears." He didn't particularly expect any miracle answers, here, but he did greatly appreciate the thought, now that she'd calmed him down. She did have such a way at doing that, when it counted- even if she _was_ often involved in causing his spirals in the first place.

"Iiiii was thinkiiiing…"

"Ye-e-es~?"

"Everyone's been going _on_ and _on_ about _my_ magical prowess, lately." His expression began to twist and she rushed to defend, "Let me finish!"

He sighed and reserved judgement.

"But they all treat you the same as ev- LET-." A pointed finger held him in place. "Good. So I got to thinking… And really, I'd be willing to bet at least some of that comes from expectation."

"Expectation?" He raised a brow.

"Sure! I mean, you're the _royal_ sorcerer of _Enchancia_ \- Enchantment is practically in the name! Not to mention the _son_ of high-and-mighty _Goodwin_ the _Great_. So everyone expects-"

"You can stop _right there, Princess_. I am _more_ than aware," he bit.

She flashed a weak apologetic smile. "Sorry. Anyway, I'm 'just' a princess, and how many royals ever get far at magic? So _of course_ they're impressed with everything I can pull out."

"Where exactly is this heading?"

"The thing is, no one seems to believe that I owe _all_ of it to _you_."

His eyes flicked to where the Amulet hung before rolling up as he glanced away. "Oh, I wouldn't say _all_ of it…" he muttered, nearly under his breath. If Sofia understood or even heard, she paid no mind.

"When I just _tell_ people that you've helped me, they think I'm just being nice."

"You do tend to do that."

Sofia huffed, but her smile widened. "Did I _say_ to let me finish?" He shrugged, but held his tongue that time. "So I was _thinking_ , what if it were more official? What if there was definitive on-paper proof that you're every bit as great as I say and probably greater?" She felt her blood begin to quicken and butterflies forming in her stomach, but pressed on. "What I'm asking is, w-... Would you consider taking me on as your apprentice again? As a… A long-term arrangement? ….Mr. Cedric. Will you formally teach me magic?"

Somehow, he actually didn't see that coming, and found himself a little taken aback. "...I don't know, Princess Sofia. I-.. I am _very_ busy, you know." Of course he was. That was why he'd been ready to pack his bags and quit ten, maybe twenty minutes prior. "...Just _how_ long-term are you thinking, exactly?"

She laughed through a nervous grin. "The… foreseeable future, perhaps?"

An awkward silence.

 _Saaaay somethiiiiinnnng_. Her grin steadily became more clenching.

"I am… It's a very nice thought, but I'm not sure-..."

"It would probably add an extra layer of job security," she quickly added, but he still didn't seem convinced.

With a subtle yet deep breath, her demeanor shifted. Her accentuated blue eyes lidded; her glossy smile softened. Her hands clasped behind her back and she popped on her toes in such a way that momentarily pushed her chest toward him- and as such, caused her Amulet to glint in the light. " _Pleeeeeease_ , Mr. Cedric?"

She felt a sense of ironic satisfaction when his eyes did indeed flick downward- only to have it immediately replaced with embarrassment as she realized that, for the first time in her life, she could not be _entirely_ certain that it had been the Amulet to catch his attention. Certainly the odds were in favor of it, but that she had even a moment's pause was a new feeling to her.

Cedric let out a long noise somewhere between a groan and a growl, which grew a little louder every few seconds. "EeerrrrrrhhhhhrhrhrhhhrhrhhhhhhhHRRHHHHALL right, _fine_. But I expect absolute diligence, and no questioning of my schemes, er, _projects_."

Sofia giggled, and Cedric pretended to pout despite his rather pleased eyes. " _Thank you_ , Mr. Cedric." She hesitated just a moment, but decided on bravery and quickly swooped in to hug him.

"EH-" He flinched slightly and moved as if he would push her away, but then sighed and accepted his fate. "Yes, yes." He loosely returned it with only one arm, then nudged her away more gently. "Now you should run along. I'm sure they'll be missing you at the party."

"I guess you're right." Sofia started to turn toward the door-... then slowly back toward him. A smile crept over her face as her look turned into more of a stare.

"...What is it." It was more accusation than question. Her smile only widened, eyes twinkling with mischief. "I _know_ that look. What are you thinking?"

"You _knoooow_ …"

"Actually I think I'd rather not."

Again he was ignored. "With this being _such_ a big event, it would probably good for reforming your image to be seen a bit mo-o-ore~"

"No."

"I mean, the sorcerer who runs off to hide after a little mishap? That shows he's basically admitting defeat, right?"

"...Princess…" His tone was warning, yet _again_ , ignored.

"But the sorcerer who brushes it off and mingles? That shows confidence! No need to hide, since it was no big deal."

He rubbed his temples and gave something of a growling sigh. She wasn't really talking him into this, was she? … Who was he kidding. At what point, even since she was just a precocious half-pint, had Princess Sofia not excelled at talking _anyone_ into _anything?_

The faux-realization as she gasped was almost painful to watch. "An even better idea! What about the sorcerer who spends most of the evening at the side of his princess apprentice? That shows authority _and_ confidence."

His face twisted into a suspicious leer, his voice as bewildered as accusatory. "Are _you-_.. _**asking**_ _me_ to the _ball?_ "

Her eyes wandered innocently. "Maaaaaybe just a little? As your friend and your new apprentice?" She could see his defenses failing, but opted to ice the cake anyway by throwing in a little pout. " _Please?_ I love everyone here but they're all in full socialite mode tonight. You're the _only one_ who I know doesn't care about all that stuff and can actually keep me real company. I'll be _so bored_ if you don't."

Cedric's weak laugh could have easily wavered into a sob at any moment, his face weary and all but defeated already. "One day I'll remember not to bother arguing with you," he sighed. "Hades' Hemlock… Just.. Don't expect me to do any dancing."

Sofia's smile sweetened and Cedric grew closer still to a sob. "Oh, we can't have that."

A half-gloved palm covered his face. "Why me."

Cedric could tell Wormwood's caw was filled with pity and disgust before he flapped off to the other side of the tower. Sofia, meanwhile, had heard something along the lines of 'pushover'.

"It doesn't need to be much! Just enough to show you're participating~ Just one should be fine, although two or three would be safer." Not for a fraction of a second did her chipper tone waver, and Cedric knew she wasn't going to budge.

"Princess, I can't-... I don't _attend_ dances, I _perform_ at them. I-..."

Gods and goddesses, she was scarcely even blinking. "Don't worry~ I can teach you!"

Half a sigh escaped him before a realization cut him off. Somewhere between ironic amusement and skepticism, he asked, "Didn't you come to me in your first _week_ of being a princess because _you_ needed help dancing?"

Sofia giggled. "The second day, if I remember right. But I learned pretty quickly, and I'm sure you can, too. I taught Sir Bartleby to dance, you know~" she chimed.

"The duke?"

"Uh-huh~!"

He pretended to be less impressed than he was. "It's going to be faster to just agree, isn't it." The chipper look Sofia gave in response was answer enough. "All right, _one_ dance." _...Precocious full-pint,_ he mentally sneered. "But show me _there_. We should _really_ be going." _Before people start asking.. questions._ He didn't quite fight off his shudder. _More than they'll already be asking, no doubt._

This was a horrible idea, but she made fair enough points, and he was too tired to fight her. Both physically at this moment, and mentally worn down by years of failure. As much as his better judgement grew increasingly louder with its protests the more addendums she made, he had to admit: his better judgement hadn't gotten him terribly far. What could it hurt to trust hers, just for a while?

Sofia squeaked with delight and clapped her hands together. "I promise, you won't regret it!"

Cedric sighed. _I hope not._

"There's just ooooone more thing."

"Persephone's Pearls-"

"You won't make a very good _impression_ dressed like _that_."

A huff. "Well then you're out of luck, Princess, because this is already the nices-"

"Oh don't worry. I've got _just_ the spell for this." And there was her wand again. When had she even pulled it out?

More importantly, though: A spell for _this?_ His brows rose skeptically... before a wave of horror moved slowly over him. She _couldn't_ mean.

"You _wouldn't_."

" _Bippity_."

"Please no."

" _Boppity."_

He buried his face in his hands.

" _Boo!"_

A burst of glittering light filled his vision, and once his eyes readjusted, he had three thoughts in near succession.

The first was that the spell, to his great surprise, _worked._ That was fairly high level fairy magic she was messing with there, and he had to admit he was impressed.

The _third_ was appreciation for the colors she chose. The formal suit was stiff and stuffy and he'd rather not have been in it a moment longer than necessary, but he supposed he could survive one evening. But the pants and outer coat were as deep a purple as his usual robe, and the gold-rather-than-dull-yellow jabot was a fair substitute for his favorite bow tie. His undershirt and boots were black with silver trim not dissimilar to her dress, and while he missed his touch of green, he could appreciate this simpler palette.

The _second_ , however, was rather more focused: _his hands were bare_. In a panicked flash, he'd scurried toward one of his desks and ripped a drawer open to reveal several spare pairs of fingerless gloves. Only after stuffing his hands into one and ensuring each glove was snugly secure did he stop to take in the rest of the outfit.

"S-Sorry?" Sofia hesitantly offered.

"Don't mention it," Cedric mumbled. _Really. Please…. Don't._ He sighed, somewhere between concession and conceit. " _Well_ then. I suppose there's no getting my robe back until midnight even if I wanted to, is there. So can we just go _now? Hmmm?_ "

Sofia looked him over with… mixed feelings. While she didn't want to say anything, per se, he… didn't quite look right with _just pants_. "Mm. ….Just.. real quick…" Before Cedric could question what she was mumbling about, the little sorceress pointed and spouted off, " _Coattailigus Growicus!_ "

In another quick flash, Cedric's coat had grown, such that the back now hung to nearly his ankles at its lowest points in a rather cape-like fashion. Although he rolled his eyes and gave her a haughty look, in his mind he had to admit he approved of the change. "Can we go _now. Plllease._ "

Sofia nodded. "Sorry. Yes! To the party we go~!"

"Iregretthisalready," he mumbled through a pasted smile, but it was too late now.

As she closed the gap between them to grasp his arm with one hand, the other promply put away her wand- straight down the front of her dress. Worse, she smiled as though it were nothing.

Cedric winced slightly, and under his breath: "Merlin's Mushrooms…"


	4. Accompaniment

The ballroom felt even livelier than he remembered, and Cedric wasn't quite sure whether he should feel offended or relieved that no one seemed to notice his presence. Occasionally people stopped momentarily to greet Sofia, but never the sorcerer trailing a few steps behind her. Once or twice, he debated slipping out before she noticed and dealing with her whining later. He decided against it each time, however, for he did like to avoid such whining if he could, and because sitting stuck in such a ridiculous outfit until her spell wore off without even justifying its presence was not an appealing prospect.

At some point, Sofia began explaining waltz steps and instructing him to pay close attention to those currently on the dance floor, given there wasn't adequate room for them to practice at the moment without joining in entirely, but he found it difficult to concentrate. Everything was too busy, too loud. How everyone was so obsessed with such superfluous gatherings was entirely beyond him. Perhaps one day, when he was king, he could do away with such nonsense.

"Are you getting this, Mr. Cedric?" Her voice broke his thoughts.

"Hm?" His default bored-with-a-hint-of-disgust look accompanied a dry tone. "Not really, no."

"Oh." Sofia's mouth twisted in contemplation. "Well.. Is there anything in particular I could explain better?"

He gave a loose, careless shrug. "It's all rather trivial, don't you think? So much regulation just seems _stifling_. What's the allure?"

Sofia blinked a few times. "Well it's… It's dancing."

"It's _waltzing_ ," Cedric corrected her. "All precision and etiquette." A sound of disgust followed.

" _Oh_. Well then.. Is there a dance you'd rather learn? There's the Swan Shuffle, or the Royal Rail, or-"

"I'd rather not _learn_ anything," the sorcerer mumbled.

Sofia paused, a hand brought to her chin in thought. When at last she looked back up to him, it was with an expression of cautious hope. "What about just… dancing?"

The surprise on his face was evident, and it was perhaps a second too long before he replied, "Whatever do you mean?"

"You know, just… Moving with the music. Whatever comes naturally!"

Cedric's tongue did not want to cooperate, and several half syllables escaped in various tones before at last he barked, "We'd look absolutely ridiculous."

"But would it be _fun~_?" the princess chimed.

Again, the answer felt too far delayed. "Absolutely not."

A little smirk spread across her features. "Are you sure?"

Shifting focus, Cedric replied, "Why don't _you_ go dance and I just watch from here. Why, look there! I think Prince Desmond is free-e-e~!" Of course he knew most of her classmates- far better than he'd care to admit to anyone outside the school. He'd subbed many times over the years and come to be quite fond of _all_ the students, really… within the realm of sorcery class, of course. The moment the subject stopped being magic, he largely lost interest in most of them.

"Really?" Was that a tinge of disbelief in her voice? "I wonder where Vivian went. I thought I saw them together when they arrived."

 _Oh.._ He sneered, then continued scanning. "There's Jin. Gilbert. Alex? Vincent. Hugo. Liam?" Sofia shrugged each off, and Cedric smiled mostly to keep from snarling. "No? Perhaps Clio would be more to your taste?" For whatever reason, he did find himself somewhat amused by the thought. "Jun? May?" he went on. "I wouldn't judge, Princess."

Sofia giggled at this, and somehow, although the reaction irked him, some of his overall frustration diminished as well. "Perhaps," she answered, to his brief surprise. "Perhaps not." Of course. There was the Sofia he knew.

How she didn't thrive on court intrigue, he couldn't guess; it seemed right up her alley, what with her coy streak a mile wide. "But that doesn't really matter right now," she went on.

"Of course not," he responded, bone dry. He could guess where it was headed from there.

"I told you we were going to work on improving your impression. And you know I never lie~" she chimed.

Not _technically_ , Cedric knew, and he gave her a little "hmph" in response. He turned away for a moment, but when he peeked back, she was smiling up at him, and her eyes were still so full of sincerity and… and _adoration_ that he could feel his defenses falling into ruin. Outwardly, he remained indifferent, but inside he was melting into putty and slipping right into the princess's dainty palms. The thought should have been infuriating, but he couldn't even muster that at the moment. "I suppose not," he answered simply.

"Good~ Now pick a dance and let's learn it~" Cedric sighed his resignation, but before he could make his choice, another thought occurred to Sofia. "Or, if you don't want to do it the hard way, I'm pretty sure I know a dancing spell…"

Cedric's heart stopped cold before violently panicking, kicking and screaming in a desperate effort to escape his chest. " _Thatwon'tbenecessary_ ," he fumbled out. And just what was she grinning about, anyway? Poseidon's Pumpkins, this princess was _perpetually_ precocious, wasn't she? "Let's just focus on waltzing." It may have been pretentious and dull, but at least he wouldn't be jumping around and risking falling on his face.

Once Sofia's lecture continued, Cedric began approaching it more mathematically, trying to gather all the variables she pointed out to craft a formula in his mind. In theory, it did seem simple enough, but he was sure he'd still find a way to fail miserably. He always did.

Over the next half-hour, Sofia had to pause the lesson several times to address party attendees, and Cedric himself was finally acknowledged as well: once sort of in passing by someone with comments to which he could not properly respond in polite company, but twice by lesser nobles with a simple-yet-pleasant "good evening", and once by Princess Hildegarde, who offered what he was fairly certain was her equivalent of praise for the amber transmutation. The latter did especially lift his spirits, but even without it the fact that most comments toward him were at least not-negative was very reassuring. Perhaps Sofia had been right about this evening after all.

Despite the interruptions, she soon decided he seemed to understand well enough, so they could give it a try as soon as he was ready.

After another ten minutes of stalling, she nudged him again. "Mr. Ceeeh-driiiic. What's wrong? Are you getting cold feet?"

"What? In the middle of summer?" The baffled look on Sofia's face suggested she legitimately wasn't sure whether he was joking or simply missed the metaphor- and that was far more satisfying than it should have been. After having her pulling his strings all night (.. all week…. month… year…. how long had she been a princess now?), it was nice to remind himself he could still get the best of her at least occasionally.

With a dramatic sigh, Cedric shifted into a haughty shrug and smirk. "I _suppose_ if you're _soooo_ desperate to dance with me, _Princess_ , who would _I_ be to keep you waiting?"

Sofia tensed, and the sound of words catching in her throat both fed his ego and… somewhat intrigued him. He had expected something more along the lines of an eyeroll or a witty retor-

"Oh I won't mind," she finally responded with a shrug, her composure regained. "It would be in _your_ interest to accompany me, but if you insist on giving up that's fine. I can dance with anyone."

 _There_ was the retort. And with a bit of tone he would swear she'd picked up from Amber. As much as that irked him, though, the tone was not why he wrinkled his nose. " _Give up?_ I think _not_." It was one thing for _him_ to say it. Even to consider it at times. But for her to _dare_ accuse him. If Cedric _gave up_ , he would not still be the royal sorcerer. If Cedric _gave up_ , he would not have multiple spellbooks written in his own hand chronicling his numerous magical and alchemical discoveries, the vast majority of which were pinned down only after untold failures.

If Cedric _gave up_ , his eyes would not have just flickered toward Sofia's precious Amulet.

Sofia just gave a perky smile in response. "Good! Then let's go." ...He was pretty certain she'd just grabbed the strings again. "Now then. I just place my hand heeere, and yooouuu?"

She was prompting to see if he could do it right. He knew she was. Cedric froze, but not due to a lapse in memory. Rather, it was because her hand on his shoulder was already making this feel much more _real_ than he'd anticipated. Was it giving up if he just decided not to try in the first place? He was leaning toward no. Perhaps Sofia was onto something with that "dancing" spell. It didn't even need a wand. Three words and he could slip out of the room with no one any the wiser.

No, he was being ridiculous. His hand moved halfway to her back and paused. ...No he couldn't. How was this going to look, exactly? He knew Sofia kept insisting this would reflect well on him, but he couldn't help but suspect she simply did not grasp the darker side of royal court.

He soon found Sofia moving his hand into position, however, and decided they were past the point of no return.

"Here." Sofia took his other hand in hers, and led him as they eased their way onto the dance floor. "One, two, three. One, two, three. That's not so bad, is it?"

Cedric's feet found the motions foreign and awkward, making his steps somewhat stiff and more difficult in practice than theory, but he seemed to be doing all right, bumping into Sofia's feet only once or twice at first before settling into the rhythm. Once he did, he found it less tedious than he'd imagined, although he was still certain _someone_ was certainly judging him for _something_ , be it a slightly misplaced hand or slightly too-wide steps or too much sway in his hips. "Tolerable," he said shortly.

As the minutes slowly crept on, Cedric grew increasingly more comfortable with his feet, and increasingly less comfortable with his hands. He told himself his fears were probably disproportionate, but it did little to help, even though very few people seemed to even notice them now, and what little acknowledgement he saw was a mere handful of smiles and nods from a few of the other cou- _pairs of dancers_ \- they passed. Finnegan's Fungus, even in such innocent context, the idea of anyone even mistaking them for a "couple" of any sort was nerve-wracking.

...And detestable, he reminded himself.

Even if there was a guarantee of no repercussions, the thought would still be off-putting. Certainly he did _jest_ from time to time. It was fun to pretend to misunderstand her, and she was positively adorable when flustered. Adorable in the way that it was entirely appropriate for adults to find children, of course. Because that was where the rest of the humor in those jokes came from: the fact that she was a _child_ and that it was so ludicrous to even pretend there would ever be a grain of truth to it.

And yet, it did not entirely escape him that he was spending entirely too much effort on this thought process, even as he found his eyes trailing down the face of what was most certainly still entirely a child.

He realized too late that he'd begun drifting closer, and tripped right into her. Sofia stopped and chuckled as she helped him catch and regain his balance. "Are you all right?"

No. No he was not.

This was hardly the closest he'd been to Princess Sofia. At one point in her childhood, mostly around the age of 11 or 12 as he recalled, it hadn't been terribly rare for her to greet him with enthusiastic hugs. But then she started… _growing_ more and he had become rather more discouraging about frontal contact. So pressed against her now with his face inches from hers- that much granted only by the height difference- was pretty much exactly the opposite of where he wanted to be right now.

Scrambling to reclaim an appropriate distance, he did his best to mask his internal conflict. "Yes. Well." His tone was short and bitter. Clearly this was all her fault for making him do this in the first place.

But Sofia was unphased, or perhaps even a little pleased. "Tch," he spat, rolling his eyes. It had not escaped his notice that she sometimes flirtaciously teased him as well. Unsurprisingly, although the hilarity of the idea remained in tact, he enjoyed it rather less on the receiving end. He suspected right now she was having quite a laugh at his expense, the little twerp.

"Don't worry, Mr. Cedric," she assured him. "You're doing fine~" He wasn't certain if her sincerity made him feel better or suspicious.

Still, as they went on, he decided that if a brief embarrassing moment was the worst thing to come out of this endeavor, perhaps the night would not be so-

"Sofia? Cedric?" Merlin's Mushrooms that was Roland's voice behind him. Welp Wormwood could probably handle his affairs. Perhaps this was Sofia's intent all along? How she'd known she stood to inherit his workshop was beyond him but clearly this had all been an elaborate plot to lead him to his death.

"Hi dad~!" Sofia chimed. How dare she be so chipper about it. The least she could do was show even a tinge of regret.

The semblance of laughter that came from the king was blatantly uncomfortable and forced. "What's all this?" he asked. As Cedric released Sofia and turned to face his fate, he saw the king wore a thinly pasted smile. Perhaps he still had time for a teleportation spell.

"I'm teaching Mr. Cedric to dance~ I just _hated_ the idea of everyone enjoying the party but him, so I convinced him to come back down and try just joining in."

The mirthful lines that had begun to form around Queen Miranda's eyes deepened as she regarded her daughter's thoughtfulness. "That was a _lovely_ idea, Sofia." Turning to him, she added, "It's wonderful to see you here, Cedric. Aside from performing, I mean."

"I-I-well-uh. Th-thank you, Your Majesty?" he fumbled.

Sofia's eyes lit so bright that they practically flashed, calling Cedric's attention back to her. Ohhh, he did _not_ like that look. "Hey mom! Would you trade me~?"

Immediately the men began verbally tripping over one another. " _I'm_ not sure that's such a good idea, _Princess_ -" "Now Sofia, shouldn't, er, that is uh-"

Miranda, however, gave a soft laugh. "Why I'd be delighted~ Would you mind, Rolly?" Roland opened his mouth in protest, but the moment his wife turned her smile on him, he deflated entirely. ...Why did that seem so familiar?

"How can I say no?" the king asked, his own smile weak but sincere. "Sofia?" He offered her a hand, which she curtseyed before taking.

Meanwhile, Miranda curtseyed as well, though it took Cedric a few seconds more to hesitantly extend a hand. As she took it and got into position, Sofia and Roland were already dancing away.

As Cedric and Miranda began dancing as well, the sorcerer spoke up. "You really don't have to do this, Your Majesty."

"Nonsense~" chimed Miranda. "You work so hard, Cedric. You deserve to have some fun."

Pretentious dancing while simultaneously climbing ever-higher on Roland's shit-list was not exactly his idea of _fun_ … but Miranda's smile was so kind and so warm, he couldn't bear to admit he didn't really want to be there.

"You do me honor, Majesty…"

"Oh, stop that." She rolled her eyes playfully. "After all these years I can hardly believe I have to tell you: Call me Miranda."

"Uh-…" Cedric nodded firmly, but couldn't actually bring himself to say it.

Something of an awkward silence fell- or perhaps it was only awkward to him.

"So was Sofia _really_ teaching you to dance?"

What? What else would she have been doing? "S- Sofia doesn't lie," he defended.

Miranda quirked a brow and smirked at that. "You _don't say_. Now I wonder who's to thank for _that_." Cedric opened his mouth to apologize, but was cut off by a deep, musical laugh from the queen. "I'm _teasing_ , Cedric," she half-whispered, as though conveying some great secret.

...If this woman's daughter wasn't the death of him, her voice might be. For all that he wore some four layers of magical clothing, he still found himself getting chills.

" _Sofia_ may not lie, but I wouldn't put it past _you_." Adding to his confusion was that her voice held no anger. What was she _on_ about? "I don't suppose you let her think you couldn't so she could 'teach' you, hmm?"

 _Oh_. Hm. In debating whether or not that was a thing he might do, he found himself instead lamenting not pretending he _could_ so she'd have left it alone. Of course, then she still would have wanted him to do so and…. Eugh. Nevermind.

"No, I didn't, Y-" He went to correct himself, but the word was still too heavy for his tongue, so he just stopped short of any addressing her.

"Oh? Well, then either she's a wonderful teacher or you're a _natural~_ " Could he maybe just… bottle her praise and keep it on a shelf in his workshop?

" _Well,_ I-..." Osiris's Oboes, was there a giant goofy smile plastered across his face? He was almost certain there was, and not only was he powerless to stop it, but part of him didn't want to. Admittedly, he could have done without the flutter creeping into his voice, however. "I didn't know how to _waltz_ , but I.. _may_.. _dance_ sometimes? When I'm all alone?" Except for Wormwood, of course.

"Really?" She laughed. "I wouldn't have pinned you for the type."

"I mean it's… certainly nothing _impressive_ , but I _am_ _very_ fond of musiiic~" Cedirc did not even notice how much broader and more fluid their strides had grown, although in his defense, the world would likely have been spinning even if he was standing perfectly still.

"Why don't you stay for parties more often? We always have such _wonderful_ music. I think you'd enjoy them if you'd give them a chance~"

As he found himself considering just that, the idea more appealing than it had ever been, a realization suddenly crashed down on him like a ton of bricks. That twinkle in her eyes. That certain lilt in her voice. That oh so subtle-until-you-knew-how-to-recognize-it way she was pushing him toward doing something outside of his comfort zone for reasons she certainly believed to be pure.

He wasn't dancing with Queen Miranda. He was dancing with a 41-year-old copy of Princess Sofia.

Not literally- although he'd admit his mind did quickly skim for any spells he knew that might cause such a phenomenon- but he may as well have been. "Well, I am very busy," he answered, his mood tempered toward something more neutral by this line of thought. "Your _husband_ can be a difficult man to please…"

A quick mumble flew out of the side of her mouth before either of them realized she was speaking: "Ineverhaveanytrouble."

" _What?_ "

"What?" Merlin's _Mountainous_ Mushrooms there was that _same_ false-innocent smile. Shifting toward a more sympathetic look, she offered, "I know Rolly can be hard on you, but I really do think he's been warming up lately. He just gets frustrated when things don't go right the first time." The instant tensing, and mild shaking, of the sorcerer's hand around hers called her attention. "Cedric?"

"S-Sorry." He loosened his grip. "It's just that _nothing_ about my job is more- _infuriating_ than _that_. Did Sofia ever tell you about the sorcerer's secret? Did she?"

Miranda tilted her head. "I don't.. believe so? Sorcerer's secret?"

Noticing they were at the edge of the dance floor anyway, Cedric stopped and reclaimed both his hands, crossing one arm in front of him while the other hand rubbed his temples. Miranda moved as if to comfort him, but then simply composed herself with hands clasped in front of her instead.

His hand dragged down his face until his eyes could leer over it. The position squished his nose uncomfortably, but he held it regardless. "The _sorcerer's secret_.." In his head, he could practically hear a chorus of children echoing him, but this was no time for singing. "Is _never giving up_." Both arms crossed in front of him for a moment, but soon enough his hands were emphasizing his words as he spoke. "Very few children are born with magic just _spewing_ out of their hands. And those that are face a _different_ problem- it's extremely _difficult_ to _control_. Unless they luck into _perfect_ balance or have a _very_ powerful artifact as a focus, the only way _any_ sorcerer gets _anything_ right is to _keep doing it_."

"Goodness.. I _am_ sorry, Cedric. You've never said anythi-"

"Never _said_ anything?! Every time I've _begged_ and _pleaded_ with his royal _pain_ -ness to just _give me another chance_ only to be _dismissed_. What? Did you think I was a _child_ asking for a do-over on the _playground_?"

Miranda covered her mouth thoughtfully. "I guess.. I didn't really think about it. Even with Sofia insisting… I always just assumed…" She sighed. "She's _so_ fond of you. I knew she _believed_ in you but you're absolutely right. I should have paid more attention."

At the sight of her down, his own anger was quickly pushed to the side, not entirely diminished but now fighting for space with a need to make her stop. "Oh, well, I- It isn't _your_ fault, you know. No need to be hard on yourself?"

"I could have helped," she argued, but then did smile. "But I hope I still can. I'll talk to Rolly about it tomorrow. Perhaps I can get him to lighten up~?"

"I-..." He blinked, somehow not expecting that. "Yes. Yes I would very much appreciate that. Th-thank you, Your M-... _Miranda…_ " There were necromantic spells he could say with less difficulty, but he managed it. That was progress.

The queen smiled and nodded. "Of course. ...And Cedric?" Leaning toward him with a hand to her mouth in a tinge of mischief, she faux-whispered, "Next time, maybe don't wait twenty years to speak up."

His face burned, and the smirk and wink she followed with did nothing to help. "Yes. Well then…"

Miranda gave her deep chuckle again, and again a line of chills ran down his spine. The queen and her daughter were much more alike than he'd realized, but Sofia certainly did not have that _voice_.

 _Thankfully_. Cedric didn't think he'd be able to handle that.

" _Well then_ ," she mimicked him. And there was the resemblance again. "If the sorcerer hasn't given up on having a good time this evening, might I have this dance?"

Cedric slightly rolled his eyes, but smiled, bowed, and extended a hand. "I've been meaning to ask you.." he began.

"Oh?"

"Does your family have any magic in its bloodline? That you know of?" _You know. Like a siren. Or a nymph. Or a demon. ...Or a siren._

Miranda pondered it, but then tilted her head in a loose shrug-like motion. "Not that I'm aware of." She smiled. "Honestly I don't know _where_ Sofia gets it. She's something quite special, isn't she?"

It took him a moment to realize she meant Sofia's talent with sorcery. "Ah." Yes that was definitely what he'd meant. All the same, he replied sincerely. He'd be loathe to admit it if Sofia was _present_ , but since she _wasn't..._ "Yes. She really is."

Cedric lost track of time as the conversation continued- it may have been another five minutes or closer to an hour, for all he knew. He mentioned Sofia's request to become his full-time apprentice, which Miranda thought was a phenomenal idea. And then conversation shifted more into… well, everything.

How had he never realized how easy it was to get along with Miranda, he wondered? ...For about two seconds, before remembering: right, probably because he almost never saw her without-

"Cedric."

"King Roland!" Despite knowing he was doing nothing wrong, Cedric reflexively jumped.

"Might I have my wife back?" the king asked. His face was kind and his tone jolly, yet Cedric knew it was not a request.

"O-of course, Your Majesty."

"My dear~" chimed Roland to his queen, and in the blink of an eye she was in his arms with an _oh Rolly_ and there was no way such a kiss in public was appropriate behavior. Then again, Cedric thought with disgust, who was going to question the king? It was almost as if it was an entirely enviable position with untold perks and instant respect, or something.

"I'll just.. be going th-" Then he realized. "Er, Your Majesties?"

They broke their kiss but not their embrace for a unified, "Hm?"

"Wwwwheeerrre is Princess Sofia?"

Roland looked over the crowd, then shrugged. "She left me somewhere on the far side of the room. Said she needed to give her rabbit his nightly medicine. I thought she'd be back by now, but I'm not sure where she got off to."

"Oh."

"I hope you do manage to have fun tonight, Cedric~" chimed Miranda.

"Oh uh-" But then they were off, and he forgot what he'd even been starting to say. Just as the sorcerer was considering checking what food was left, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

It was a duchess of Zumaria, judging by her fashion, but Cedric didn't know her otherwise. As such, he could not begin to imagine why her eyes practically twinkled as she looked up to him. "You're Cedric the Sorcerer, aren't you?"

With only a moment's hesitation, he decided, _why the devil not_. "Cedric the _Sensational_ , actually." To his ego's delight, her fascination visibly grew.

"Oh my goodness.. They don't call this place Enchancia for nothin', do they? There's such _impressive_ magic everywhere you look." Cedric maintained a smile and deigned not to clarify that Sofia was responsible for much of that. If he didn't directly take credit, he couldn't be blamed for a misunderstanding, right? "I admit I got a wee bit scared when those fireworks started to get out of control, but it cleared up right fast, didn't it?" Cedric wondered if she had been close enough to see that it was Sofia who fixed that, but still said nothing.

"Oh, but all the spells before that were _wonderful_ ," she went on, helping to quell his momentarily mixed feelings. "And then I saw you earlier dancin' with the princess, and just now with the _queen. Ah._ I think it's every girl's _dream_ to be Queen Miranda."

Cedric smirked despite himself as the precocious princess again came to mind. "Perhaps not _every_ girl."

"Even still! You must be an _amazin'_ sorcerer to be so close to the royal family like that. And I ah… I was wonderin'..." Cedric was honestly surprised by this turn. "Might you be willin' to tell me more about it..? Maybe over a- a dance?"

"I uh deh- er. You-" He took a moment and a deep breath, then, with his attempt to hide his excitement with an indifferent mask likely failing miserably, he answered. "Yes. Yes I suppose I could do that."

Perhaps when he was king, he would simply _tone down_ all the balls rather than doing away with them entirely…

* * *

In her room, Sofia was still absolutely giddy. "You should have seen it, Clover. I mean it took a little convincing to calm dad down, but the rest of the night has been so wonderful. I'm so glad I thought of this."

The rabbit in question was finishing the last of his medicine with a side of about three more radishes and maybe a carrot for good measure. Sofia couldn't get him to take it all at once, so spreading it in almost untraceable amounts over his evening meal made sure he got it.

"Sof, I'm tellin' ya, you've got this in the bag. The guy clearly can't resist you."

Sofia blushed and shrugged at once. " _I know~_ I mean, I'm sure I've still got my work cut out for me, but this is a good start."

Clover smiled knowingly. "Now _how_ close did you say he was again?"

The princess squeaked. "Oh Clover, I could have kissed him. I mean, I _wouldn't have_ , and I didn't, because that probably would have scared him and made a scene at James and Amber's party, but I _could_ have, and.." She squealed and spun around.

"So what're you waitin' for, anyway, kid? Get back down there."

It was Sofia's turn to give him a knowing look, now. "Not until _you_ finish," she told him, causing Clover to pout for just a moment.

"Yeah, yeah." He took another big bite of one of the 'special' radishes.

"Besides, I'm in no big hurry. I'm sure he's in good company if mom's still with him."

"An' if nah?" he asked through a mouthful of food.

"Then hopefully he's having fun anyway."

As if on cue, Liza the hummingbird buzzed through Sofia's window, accompanied by a female bluejay aptly named Jay; Jay took a perch while Liza hovered nearby.

Sofia had lost Robin when she was 11, and Mia last year, but had befriended several other birds over the years. Her 'inner circle', as it were, now consisted of Clover, these two and Auric the oriole, Whatnaught (who was fairing far better than Clover and would likely be around for many more years to come), and a female chipmunk named Kit. A good two dozen other animals could also claim being very close friends, such as Minimus; they just weren't small or mobile enough to frequent her room like those six.

"Sofia!" called Jay.

"Yes~?"

"We uh… Well we thought you'd like to know…" Liza's hesitation made Sofia's nerves flare.

"What is it?"

"Cedric's sort of dancing with a girl," blurted Jay. "Not your mom but like. A _girl_."

"More of a woman really," corrected Liza.

"Same thing," Jay shrugged.

"Oh _good_ ," Sofia sighed with relief, earning surprised looks from all the animals present. With a little giggle, she added, "Well with the way you were dodging it I thought someone might have been hurt."

"Oh. Sorry about that," said Liza.

"But Sof. You don't think you should.. maybe do something?" asked Clover.

Sofia laughed off her confusion. "Do what? Embarrass him? Maybe hold up a big _sign_ that says-" in a lightly self-mocking tone, " _I'm clingy and insecure!_ "

Liza seemed to find this funnier than the other two, but they still got the point.

"Besides, this is great! He's having fun- he did look like he was having fun, right?" The birds nodded. "See? He's having fun _on his own_. Cedric knows _I'll_ bend over backwards to make him happy. But how often does something go well for him _without_ me doing so?"

"Not often," mumbled Clover, with a little more smirk than Sofia was really fond of, but it wasn't enough to earn her ire. And it was true, after all.

"So see? If he spent all night with me, it would show him he's important to me, but he already _knows_ that. If he has some fun on his own, then it shows him that when he takes my advice, good things happen in general~"

Jay chuckled. "That didn't come off as _at all_ manipulative."

Sofia shrugged and smiled sweetly. "I prefer to think of it as helpful nudging."

"Mmmm-hm." That sound was Clover.

"But finish your dinner," the princess told him. She then teased, "I _would_ like to see him again _some_ time tonight."

Clover gave her a playful look, but then laughed and shook his head. "As you wish, Princess." And he took another large bite.


	5. Alarm

To Sofia's disappointment, she actually did not see Cedric again that night. Upon making it back to the ball, she had asked about him, but didn't want to appear too concerned or in too much of a hurry, and in the end she barely missed him twice, but close certainly did not count here.

It was just as well, really, she told herself. She'd see him in the morning, right? Another dance would have been nice, but from the sound of it he might be all danced out- a thought that she found positively adorable.

She did dance with a few friends, and ended up politely rejecting offers from a few acquaintances. She had an amazing meal and made sure to spend plenty of time with James, given his last night at home for a while. Which wasn't to say Amber didn't join them at times, either.

Sofia also ended up watching them through several dances, during which James favored Hildegarde as a partner while Amber favored Zandar. A few times, people either asked Sofia or she overheard them whispering to each other, curious if there was anything between either pair. Sofia found this incredibly amusing.

In the end, all three siblings had a fantastic evening lasting into the wee morning hours. When at last they got to bed, they all crashed hard.

Despite this, Sofia woke just as bright and early as she'd intended, with a little helpful nudging from her animal friends. As much as she dragged her feet at first, she soon forced herself to perk up. She had plans to keep, after all!

Said plans took her across the castle to Cedric's tower- oddly quickly and with no interruptions it seemed- and up the stairs to his workshop door. A little knock was answered by silence. "Mr. Cedric~?" Still no answer, so Sofia let herself in.

She found Wormwood there on his perch, but still no sign of the sorcerer. She decided however slim her chances of it being helpful, it couldn't _hurt_ to ask, right? "Oh Wormwood. Is Cedric in?"

How a beak could expressionately twist at all, let alone into such an _unnerving_ smile, was something Sofia was unsure she _wanted_ to know. His eyes pierced her more than she could ever remember them doing. Immediately she remembered why she tried not to be _alone_ with Wormwood. "Oh, you _poor,_ naive child," came his haughty response. "He's in his room, but I'd leave _now_ if _I_ were you." She didn't even know which was stranger: his cryptic warning or the fact that his answer was stated so clearly.

Sofia shook it off and decided not to press him further, instead crossing the workshop to the staircase that led down to Cedric's chamber door. _Quoth the Raven, heretofore… words I should probably just ignore,_ Sofia told herself. That reference probably worked better in her head than it ever would have to any other person, but regardless.

She knocked, gently but not so quiet as to go unheard. At first, there was no response, but just as she was considering trying again, the handle jostled. The door half-opened, and Cedric peered out, clearly just awakened. "Is there no hour sacred to you, princess?" he droned.

Sofia's face heated momentarily. "Oh. I didn't mean to wake you-" well, she sort of did- "but I wanted to make sure you were coming to breakfast this morning."

"And why on _earth_ would I do _that_."

Was.. was he more bitter than usual? Or was he really just that little of a morning person? "W-well, to formally announce my apprenticeship for starters. In particular, so James can hear before he leaves? And also to see him off?"

Cedric scoffed heavily. "Good riddance." What? She knew he wasn't always James's biggest fan but she had thought they got along well enough, especially in the past few years…

"I-..." She worked through a few different routes of things she wanted to say before deciding it best not to fight and settling on a simple, "I can just come back later, if you-"

"Cedric?" That was a woman's voice.

The immediate look of panic on Cedric's face confirmed Sofia's fear, and the door was quickly slammed in her face.

Sofia's mouth opened, but although a few sounds escaped, none were quite words. She heard sounds that did seem like words- especially shoo! begone! go away!- but she could not put a voice or direction to them for some reason. In fact, she couldn't put a direction to _anything_.

Cedric-... _Cedric-..._ She supposed she _shouldn't_ be as surprised as she _was_ but- It was _Cedric_ and- How-... How could this… How could _she_ -...?

Sofia felt like the world was collapsing around her. Like she just needed to run but suddenly had no place to go. Everything was fading from view, everything-

Sofia woke up, _almost_ as early as she'd planned. Digging the pocketwatch from her bedside table, she looked to find she'd overslept by about half an hour. So that was… a dream?

Of… _of course_ it was a dream, she told herself. No reason to get worked up here. Silly, silly dreams.

It seemed fairly obvious in retrospect; the castle was much busier than it had been in her dream, with voices echoing through all the halls. At one point, she caught Hildegard sneaking not out of but _into_ James's room, though she was fairly certain Hildy had not seen her. Sofia rolled her eyes, wondering why her siblings went to such lengths- and what Hildy was going to do once James was gone, for that matter. But she supposed all that would work itself out in time, and if not, she could always give in the appropriate nudge at a better time.

Incidentally, Sofia found she couldn't quite bring herself to head to Cedric's tower after all. She spent the entire trip to the dining hall trying to decide whether to simply announce her apprenticeship on her own or wait for Cedric- maybe she could just tell James before he left if she didn't get a chance before then?- only to find Cedric was… actually already there? Was she certain she wasn't still dreaming?

But no, for the most part, it seemed everything was quite normal. Cedric's presence was rare but not unheard of. His uncharacteristically pleasant mood, albeit not entirely deficit of an occasional snarky remark, was both a nice surprise and slightly unnerving.

Amber arrived roughly a minute after Sofia, and James came some ten minutes behind.

The morning was filled with much heartfelt exchange and well-wishes. Sofia finally decided to "announce" her apprenticeship only to find that Cedric had mentioned it to her mom the night before, who had mentioned it to dad and James, and dad mentioned it to Baileywick, and James mentioned it to Amber, who despite both having been told already _and_ having been involved in nudging her toward it _still_ seemed the most excited about it of any of them.

..Well. That happened.

Still, she supposed that was… good enough. Everyone knew and supported the idea, even if she did find herself a touch sad that it lacked the fanfare she'd imagined. Oh well. This was James's day anyway! So yes, this was even _better_ than expected, she told herself.

So why was she having trouble enjoying it all? In fact, the whole morning was practically a blur. Thinking over in, she could tell you most of the events that occurred but almost no details.

After breakfast, she went to sit in the gardens. She and James were supposed to spend some time together here before he left, but she couldn't quite recall what else he had to do first. So she simply.. waited, lost in her thoughts, until a voice snapped her out of them.

"Sof? Earth to Sof!" it chipperly called.

Sofia visibly broke from her trance, and it took a moment for her eyes to focus properly upon her guests: a chipmunk and a squirrel. "Oh. Kit, Whatnaught. _Sorry_ about that." She feigned a sheepish grin as she spoke. "I guess I didn't get enough sleep last night."

"Oh? That's too bad," said Kit, but Whatnaught quirked a brow, face otherwise deadpan. Upon noticing her companion, Kit looked between them. "Oh wait that was an excuse. I knew that." Whatnaught held up a hand incredulously.

Sofia laughed weakly. She could still fool the younger animals often enough, but Clover and Whatnaught had both known her for so long, she really should have learned to stop trying.

"So what's really up?" asked Kit.

" _Oh_ , it's…" She tried another grin as she sought some half-truth to give instead, but as it fell, Whatnaught scurried over to the bench where she sat and hopped next to her, placing a paw on her hand. "Heh. Thanks." She offered him a few affectionate scratches before continuing. "I guess I keep.. thinking about a weird dream I had."

"A nightmare?" asked Kit, as she joined them on the bench.

"No- Well. Yes. That is, it shouldn't have been? But when I woke up it sure felt that way." At a little further nudging, Sofia conceded and, after having them make a quick round to ensure they were alone, told them all the details.

Afterward, both of her furry friends sat silent for a few moments. Or, well, Whatnaught was usually silent, but he made no indication of communicating otherwise either.

"That's uh.. some dream?" Kit said at last, unsure exactly how she was supposed to be reacting. "But like. Why was it so scary? Jay said you seemed happy about the idea of him with other girls last night."

Well it wasn't quite as broad or simple as all that but. "I was," Sofia answered. "Or I am. Or I thought I am?" She groaned.

Whatnaught chittered slightly to get her attention, then began to mime a few gestures. First a surprisingly graceful dance, then a nod. Then he placed his front paws together and lay his head upon them, eyes closed. Then he shook his head.

Sofia took a moment to piece them together, then asked, "Dancing is okay, but sleeping together isn't?" Whatnaught nodded his affirmation, and Sofia bit her lip. "I… I think that's _almost_ right, but.." There was more to it. She knew it, she was just having trouble placing it.

It wasn't like she _really_ expected Cedric to be interested in her, right? Their occasional banter was one thing, and she enjoyed it, but not _seriously_. She was just indulging her crush while she could; it was just for fun. So she knew it wouldn't have been fair for her to expect him to avoid any other relationships, right?

Except her dream wasn't really about a relationship, was it? It was about a one-night stand. Something she _never_ would have expected out of-...

Was.. that it actually? "I think…" she started. "I think part of it was just the dissonance? I've never thought of Mist-... Never thought of _Cedric_ ," she corrected herself, "as.. _caring_ about that sort of thing.. I guess?"

"I.. see?" Kit still wasn't sure if she was helping or making things worse, but she was always one to speak her mind. "But I mean… Have you ever known him to date anyone?"

Hesitantly, Sofia answered, "N-not really, no."

"So… Did you think he was a 40-some-year-old virgin, or..?"

"Well, _no_ -" Sofia started, but then. "...I don't know? I guess I didn't.. think about it _at all_ , until now. Does that seem naive of me?"

Whatnaught shrugged.

"I dunno," Kit agreed. After a moment, however, she added, "But.. does it matter?"

"Huh?"

"Does it matter? I mean it sounds like it mostly caught you off-guard is why it shook you. But now that you've pinned that down, does it really matter what or _who_ he does or doesn't do in his spare time?"

Sofia thought on this. "I…" She smiled. "I guess not." Not… really, right? "It doesn't really change anything, does it? Thanks guys."

But at the same time, in the back of her mind, it sort of did. She still couldn't believe it had never occurred to her that Cedric- like most men- like most _people_ she knew- probably had needs. And Sofia wasn't sure if she would actually be willing, or able, to fulfill them.

' _...Well, shit,'_ thought the princess. Because it was at this moment that it fully dawned on her: _apparently_ , she actually _was_ considering scenarios in which Cedric eventually returned her feelings. And that… complicated things.


	6. Au Revoir!

Whatever mild hesitations Whatnaught may have had were quickly put aside and conversation after Sofia's alleged resolution was much more idle and pleasant. At some point, a gray squirrel friend of Kit's joined, as did Auric and several other birds, including one born the previous spring whom Sofia hadn't met prior.

As such, when James arrived, he found Sofia surrounded by a miniature platoon of small woodland creatures. Just chatting. About the weather and the food at last night's banquet and court gossip.

James did not question this.

The animals knew to take their leave when he greeted her, though, although a few of them did hang pretty closeby, eavesdropping no doubt. In their absence, he took a seat next to Sofia.

"I still can't believe you're leaving," murmured the princess. "It feels so surreal."

"I know what you mean," the prince answered, although he smirked a bit as he did. "But hey. I'll be passing through now and then. And I'll be writing home when I can."

"True…" James frowned, and Sofia realized how distant she must sound. Putting on a brighter tone, she went on, "But I'm really happy for you! Not that we haven't always traveled a lot, but you'll get to go so much farther and do so much more exploring. If you go anywhere dangerous you _might_ even get to use a real _cannon_."

James snorted a laugh and rolled his eyes. "I _do_ think about other things _occasionally_ , you know."

" _Occasionally_ ," Sofia teased back, sticking her tongue out slightly. James placed his fingertips on her forehead and shoved it back lightly, and Sofia in turn shoved his arm before both started laughing.

"I really am gonna miss you, Sof."

Sofia knew that, but it still warmed her heart and moistened her eyes to hear it. "Oh, don't be silly. If all our childhood fairy tales are anything to go on, I'm sure you'll rescue _tons_ of princesses, from ogres and dragons- You'll never be wanting for female attention."

" _Brilliant_ ," James snarked. "And if our _actual_ childhood is anything to go on, I'll be _getting_ _rescued_ by princesses," he chided.

"How embarrassing!" Sofia teased. The joke was that neither of them even slightly bought into the notion that it would be, of course.

"Anyway, since when have you known me to want female attention?" joked James.

"Just mine~" chimed Sofia, before giggling and laying her head on his shoulder, doe eyes fluttering up at him. "I feel ~ _so special~_."

James chuckled, but then shifted into a softer smile before leaning in to kiss her forehead. "You really are, you know."

Sofia found herself blushing slightly. She lifted her head but moved the rest of her body a little closer and linked an arm around his.

For a few minutes, they just sat silently together, before finally Sofia asked, "How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Deal with… _feelings_ , I guess..?" Sofia grimaced, and James tilted his head.

"For you, or in general?"

"Yes."

James rolled his eyes affectionately. "You might need to be just a little more specific."

Sofia sighed. "Well… Start with me, I guess. How do you deal with… With having romantic feelings but not wanting a relationship? Or knowing you couldn't have one if you did?"

"I… I don't think I've ever really given it much thought? This just… is what it is, you know?" That both made a lot of sense and didn't help at all. "You've always been on the fence about the nature of your feelings and I've always accepted that. It's just.. always been enough for me to spend time with you?" That, on the other hand, did help slightly, she supposed.

"I see…"

"I know we've both always just sort of accepted the situation for what it is, but I feel like that should apply more to every situation, you know?"

"Not really?" Sofia shifted a bit, uncomfortably. "How do you mean?"

"Just… People get too caught up in what they _want_ things to be like. Sometimes it's better to appreciate things in the moment," James tried to explain.

"I guess so…" But Sofia wasn't sure if she was convinced. Wasn't it also a good thing to have goals? Wasn't it normal to desire progression? His notion sounded good in theory, and she could certainly see where it _did_ seem like many people got so wrapped up in the future that they weren't appreciating the present. But it sounded like he was suggesting to live _entirely_ in the moment to a point of not caring about the future, and Sofia didn't think she could quite buy into that. She was very much a plan-oriented person.

"Why do you ask, anyway?"

Sofia tensed. She was quite aware James could _feel_ her doing so, but tried to brush it off anyway. " _Oh_ , just _curious~_ "

… "Sof. You're a terrible liar."

No. Sofia was, in fact, an absolutely impeccable liar. Sofia was such a good liar that she had most people convinced she was a bad liar for the sole sake of making herself a better liar when she wanted to lie well. … Except about this. Sofia was a horrible liar about specifically this.

Averting her gaze, and retaining a little of her singsong tone from before, she elaborated, "It's _nothing_. I just.. _maaay_ have this _teeny_ crush that's been bothering me, is all~? It's _really_ not a big deal."

James smirked. "Awww. Sofia's growing up~"

"Ha, ha, yes, I know," she said slightly irritably.

"Hey, it's nothing to be ashamed of." Outwardly, Sofia did not react. Internally, she let out an uproarious and painfully sarcastic laugh followed by an onslaught of self-deprecating remarks, most of which could be summed up along the lines of _Oh, yes it is_. "Honestly, though. It's probably best to just be open about your feelings."

Sofia quirked a brow. "Coming from the man who's pretending that he's secretly dating- no, actually, better. Who's _pretending_ that he's _pretending not_ to date someone who's dating the person he's _actually_ dating, with _that_ person pretending to pretend not to date the person that he's dating's pretend-date's actual date."

James mostly followed that and still found himself laughing for a good half a minute before finding words.

To recap, James was dating Zandar; Amber was dating Hildegard. Zandar and Hildegard were also dating each other. Hildy might also have been dating Clio? Sofia wasn't sure on that one anymore. But James and Hildegard made a point to make it look like they were interested in each other, as did Amber and Zandar, because…?

Sofia couldn't imagine why. She was absolutely positive that their parents would be supportive, and while there was still _some_ stigma in Enchancia it wasn't _that_ prominent. Certainly some people were likely to talk, but she couldn't imagine why either sibling would care. James never bought too much into the notions of judgmental people and while Amber certainly did, few were going to say anything to her face as heir apparent.

Actually, Sofia did suppose Amber's caution was a little more reasonable, when she thought about it. 'At least' James was panromantic gay, where Amber was rather thoroughly lesbian. If it became too clear that she would likely never have an heir of her own, folks might start questioning if James or Sofia would make a better monarch. But for James, with no such concern?

She supposed Hildy and Zandar's involvement with each other as well might turn more heads, but all the same. Sofia still sometimes swore at least half the motivation behind the charade was just enjoying putting on such an elaborate show.

" _Fair point_ , but we're all open with _each other_ ," James countered at last.

"I guess that's true…"

James was still working on fighting down the tail end of his laughter when he thought to ask, "Who is it, by the way? Do I know him, or her? or them?"

… … … "Nope."

James's eyes narrowed, suspicious but not quite certain.

"You probably wouldn't know them."

"That means I do."

"It's someone I know from the village."

"That means it's someone high-ranking."

"You really don't have to be like that."

"And _you_ really don't have to lie to me." James frowned. "C'mon, Sof. You should know you can tell me anything."

Sofia pursed her lips.

James sighed. "You don't have to if you don't want. It just worries me that you're being evasive." Cracking a small smile, he added, "Besides. Who could I possibly tell in the next whole hour?"

Sofia laughed weakly. _Everyone who matters_ , she thought, but he also had a point. It wasn't like he had to keep the secret for very _long_. "Do you promise you won't judge?"

"I think we've pretty well established I'm in no position to do that," he teased.

Sofia took a deep breath. "All right… If you… _promise._ " It would be good to get it off her chest… to another human being at any rate. "Ssss-...ssssssssss…..soooooomeone… who…" She cleared her throat, reclaimed her arm and began twiddling her thumbs. "A lot of people might say it's… not _exactly appropriate_ …"

"A girl, maybe?"

"N-no. No…" She could see that conversation. ' _Mom, Dad, I hope you can still have kids because_ _ **all**_ _your current kids are gay, no heirs for you_.' She mentally chuckled. "It's a man. ...An.. _older_ man…"

James began mentally going over the people they knew, simply thoughtful and curious; a few times he opened his mouth as if to make a guess before deciding against it and continuing- until suddenly Sofia saw a moment of visible realization and his face fell flat. "Sofia I swear on my oath as a knight if you say Cedric-"

"It'scedric."

" _Sofia."_

" _You promised_."

" _SOFIA._ " She couldn't quite tell if he was angry, exasperated, or just baffled. "He's _older than mom_."

"Younger than dad!" she piped with a forced smile.

"By _literally one year_."

Sofia's expression shifted into sulking territory as she crossed her arms and glanced away. " _I know_ , okay? I get it. It's gross, it's wrong, I should just _not_ feel this way, and I'm terrible for-"

"Hey! Hey, Sofia, no. It's not like that."

"What's it like?" she snapped, returning her gaze to him once more.

James bit his lip. "I didn't mean to upset you, okay? I'm sorry." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's just… You're so young, Sof." _Not that much younger than you_ , she thought dryly, but let him continue. "I worry about you. I know you're a smart girl, but you don't always… I just don't want you being taken advantage of." So he was saying she was naive, in other words. Thanks for the vote of confidence, James. "It's… _understandable_ -" she thought that word seemed forced- "on your end, but on his-"

"He doesn't like me."

"Hnh?"

Sofia let out something between a groan and a sigh, and rubbed her temples. "I don't _know what_ I'm thinking, honestly." A weak, self-pitying laugh escaped her. "I get where you're coming from, honestly. _I do_. And I can't say for sure, but at least in theory.. I really _might_ be uncomfortable if I thought he did? Actively, I mean? Because clearly I _do_ hope he's capable of returning my feelings, right? It just- ...doesn't even make any sense, does it."

James himself wasn't sure if he was sincere or joking as he asked, "So… You need to have liked him first?"

Sofia's laugh grew stronger and even more self-deprecating. " _I guess!_ Of course when you say it _that_ way it sounds _ridiculous_ , but.."

"It's not.. _too_ ridiculous." He smiled, which made Sofia smile back before sighing softly.

"I'm sorry. This is _your_ big day; I didn't mean to go on about me."

James ruffled her hair lightly. "You're fine, Sof." He took a few moments to process everything, then went on, "And, you know… Above all else, I want you to be safe, all right? … But if you can promise me you'll be careful, then… A close second is I want you happy. So, even if I can't imagine _what_ you'd see in him-" he smirked- "do _whatever_ makes you happy. Okay?"

Before Sofia could respond, one of the eavesdropping birds- she couldn't tell which- chirped, "Or _whoever!_ " with a giggle.

Sofia tried to hide her cringe in response. _Let'snotgetaheadofourselvesokay?_ She'd have to say as much aloud later, if she remembered.

For now, she did her best to wipe that apprehension from her mind and focus on the prince. "Thank you _so_ much for understanding." She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in for a tight embrace, which he readily returned.

"Don't mention it."

As Sofia pulled away, she grinned playfully. "Yyyeah, that's probably a good idea. Somehow I don't see most people coming around quite as quickly as you."

James chuckled. "Not quite what I meant, but that's probably true." James pulled the watch from his coat pocket and sighed. "I guess it's about time I headed that way. But really, best of luck, Sofia. With everything."

Sofia stood with him. "You too." She glanced around the garden idly, then smiled up at him. "Mind if I walk you there?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way." James bowed dramatically, then, extending a hand. "Milady~?"

Sofia curtseyed with equal flare before taking his hand, then his arm, with a giggle. Arm in arm, continuing conversation with topics both serious and mundane, they headed toward the castle stables, walking slowly so as to drag out precious more minutes. Once they got there, it was likely Sofia would linger further as James prepared his horse and took care of other last-minute affairs. Of course, once he was outside the castle gates, both knew he would be incredibly impatient and excited.

But right here and now, every extra word of idle chatter was treasured.


End file.
